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Doctrine

What Do Baptists Believe?

Baptists are not a creedal people, rejecting the man-made creeds and dictates of ecclesiastical powers. But we are a confessional people, who have written many confessions of faith through the years to express our basic beliefs. The most common of these among Southern Baptists has been The Baptist Faith and Message, which had three major statements in 1963, 1998 and 2000. At AFBC we welcome folks who identify with any of the historic Baptist confessions or those just trying to figure it out. For an excellent comparison of the 1925 New Hampshire Confession of Faith and the 1963 and 2000 BF&M statements, go to this site: http://www.sbc.net/bfm2000/bfmcomparison.asp

When it comes to doctrinal issues, some Christians are known for divisiveness over preferences that hurt the unity of the Body of Christ. Perhaps the old saying is best applied, IN ESSENTIALS UNITY, IN NON-ESSENTIALS LIBERTY, IN ALL THINGS CHARITY. By recognizing the cherished principles of soul liberty and the priesthood of the believer, we agree to share in the worship of God Almighty in those clear fundamentals of our faith as expressed in all the great Baptist confessions, while refusing to argue or divide the body over the non-essentials. Paul expressed it to the Roman church this way: Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgmennt on disputable matters. (Romans 14:1)

That's why you can worship and study God's word at AFBC without fear that you will wear the wrong clothes or say the wrong thing in Sunday School. A loving atmosphere of acceptance permeates all we do for the glory of God. We point to Christ, who taught us to be known by our LOVE for one another (see John 13). Above all, we search the scriptures together to discover God's truth for our lives. Come join us in the adventure!